The score is tied at 1–1 in the penalty shootout of the 2019 Varsity Hockey final between NWU and their hosts, Maties, in Stellenbosch on Monday. The game is on a knife-edge after it ends 0–0 in regulation time and NWU’s Clarise Smit steps up to take her penalty. With style, grace and a bit of trickery, she puts the ball into the net – no fuss, just class – advantage NWU.
The purple team’s keeper, Mishka Ellis gets ready to face another Maties penalty with stick in hand and confidence in her heart. A save here will guarantee a first title for the NWU after years of waiting…
In a matter of seconds, that wait was all worth it as Ellis swiped the ball away from danger with her stick to seal a brilliant win on Maties’ turf. What followed was an emotional roller-coaster for the NWU women who jumped, screamed, cried and laughed together as a team with the trophy in their hands.
Poise under pressure was one of the keys to the North-West University’s superb title-clinching 2019 Varsity Hockey campaign under the coach, Shaun Hulley.
The NWU women were fighting just to make the playoffs after a shaky start to the competition. But, the five wins on the trot, four of them in front of an appreciative home crowd in Potch, gave them momentum for that victory charge.
“We practised our penalty shootouts and backed our keeper to make those saves.
This victory is massive after all the hard work we have put in to enhance the level of hockey at the NWU. This is a big milestone,” said Hulley.
There were many key moments during the tournament, where players like Carli Pretorius stepped up with crucial goals against Kovsies. Mishka Ellis made some superb saves against Kovsies and UJ, while the veteran defender, Jessica de Bruyn-Smith, was on top of her game. The captain, Charné Maddocks, Courtney du Preez and Kirsty Adams were also some of the top players for the NWU. Most of all, it was a team effort that took the NWU women to glory.
“The character the team showed was immense and it shows the concerted team effort that everyone put in,” ended a delighted Hulley.
